Hello,

I'm installing an all white kitchen, with either marble or quartz counters, and am a little worried about coffee grounds causing stains. What kind of trays/boxes/bins/mats are available to house the machine/grinder and keep all the loose grinds in one place?

Thanks!

Probably covering them with something on not have the grinder or ground coffee near them if that's a concern. I've never seen the day I didn't have wipe grounds off the counter tops where a grinder was used. I think coffee grounds are like flour, when you start messing with it, you had just as well throw some everywhere so you don't have to be concerned about making a mess, because not matter how hard you try, when your are done, you still have a mess.

A good coating sealimg the surface of the stone might help, sealants are avaliable but they do wear off (polishing the stone also helps to seal its pores), that plus cleaning up fast should work...dry grounds should not cause stains but wet ones may just do so...

It's not just coffee that may cause stains though, we chose brushed black granite and even that can pick up stains... It adds character, after the first one...

miguels wrote:...am a little worried about coffee grounds causing stains.

There are lots of stain-hiding natural stone choices:


From Olympia Cremina Review

Even if it's eventually stained, you really can't tell. If it really bothers you years down the road, a good craftsman can repair or even resurface a stone countertop (albeit the latter comes at significant expense).

I'm not certain about quartz, but I know marble will certainly pull stains into it. Carvers don't use felt tip markers on their marble pieces because of this, unless at a very rough stage.

On a countertop, acetone or rubbing alcohol may pull out some of a stain, but it's not something I would rely on with coffee stains, more of an accidental stain sort of thing.

I also agree that it's going to be tough getting an electric grinder to not leave fine grounds almost everywhere around it. My HG-1 is a bit better than the K10, but all of them eventually leave grounds. Bigger problem is moving or sliding things across those grounds. Say moving the grinder and not realizing a fine mist of coffee is there can really grind it in.

My counters are dark granite and really hide the grounds, they are still there but it looks clean!

I've never had a stray grounds problem. Any and all runaway grinds stay on the tray my grinder sits on. I also put a rubber bar mat down with those rubber nipples inside the tray for extra sound/vibration dampening and grounds catching.

Also marble is a terrible choice for a kitchen. If you want a natural stone check into Quartzite - it resembles marble but isn't a fake man made product like Quartz. Plus once you notice it in every public restroom you'll wish you hadn't.

Think we can leave the coice of surface material to TS, marble had been used for centuries in kitchens.
Not my preference but that's to each his own.

A coating can protect it, or a double barrier like a coating and a mat / tray.

The idea of making a tray sounds tempting as my espresso counter top space is really messy at times...

It's also pitted, absorbed stains and left water marks for centuries; I don't think that qualifies as a choice material with today's options. Since some fabricators aren't always honest I don't see anything wrong with letting OP know from my own experience. If your kitchen is a rarely used show piece then marble is fine, but if it's heavily used then granite, quatzite or even Quartz may be better options. It only takes one neglected drop of wine or vinegar to ruin your day

Thanks everyone for the replies!

I installed the elvinator mod and got a bigger tray which minimized the spraying.

Have you also tried one of the Orphan Espresso funnels? My counters are much cleaner using them. Other option is to use the popular yogurt cup. It doesn't catch all grounds but it does a great job.